All Beauty Posts - According To Dhttp://www.accordingtod.com/beauty/Thu, 26 Apr 2018 12:10:54 +0000en-USSite-Server v6.0.0-16499-16499 (http://www.squarespace.com)Beauty blog. Makeup, hair, style, etc. Beauty blogger. According To D Blog4 Day Hair: Curly Edition. How To Style Your Dirty Hair For Four Days With Low Heat + No WashbeautyhairHair & Makeuphealthy hair tipsDanielle GrecoWed, 02 May 2018 22:20:05 +0000http://www.accordingtod.com/beauty/2018/4/26/4-day-hair-curly-edition-how-to-style-your-dirty-hair-for-four-days-with-low-heat-no-wash543866d0e4b0647d8a3d0abc:54386ac4e4b03c56171d8b22:5ae1c1ce0e2e72a55663768cIf you read my first "4 Day Hair" blog post then you already know that dry shampoo is my life! I could say that motherhood is the reason I do not wash my hair for 3 to 4 days at a time, but that simply isn't the case. I have done this with my hair for as long as I can remember. For multiple reasons, but the main ones being that it is good for the health of your hair to preserve the natural oils in your hair by not washing it daily (even washing it every other day is better than every single day), and I also have extremely thick hair so it's no quick or easy task to wash, dry and style it. With blowouts being a huge trend right now, not washing your hair every day is becoming more accepted, but of course there are still the few who totally don't understand it and find it gross. I personally don't think twice about it anymore, I've been rocking the shower cap for years now.

Because I've become a "dirty hair pro" I decided it could be helpful to share a few of my tricks with you on how to style your 3 or 4 (depending on your hair type) day hair. Disclaimer, my hair can go up to 4 days and still style good, but not everyone has the same hair type and there does come a point when even dry shampoo can't fix the issue. If that is you, wash your hair lol and do it before people stare at you funny. The idea is not to waltz around town with greasy looking hair. The idea is to have your hair last and styled so that people and yourself hardly notice that it is even dirty. A good dry shampoo and a good teasing comb are key. I have linked some of my favorites below for you. The idea behind being able to style your hair for 4 days is to create looks when your hair gets greasy that hide the grease (even though it shouldn't be showing much anyways because of the dry shampoo).

Here is a demo of "4 day hair" that you can use. I have included french braids into a few of the looks, but you could modify if you do not know how to do a french braid, or find a good YouTube tutorial and start learning because french braid looks are some of the best for dirty hair. This 4 day hair tutorial is starting with curled hair. If you would like to see a 4 day hair tutorial starting with straight hair you can find that HERE.

Day 1: Curl Hair

Day 2: Front & Center French Braid

Day 3: Twisted side to half up

Day 4: Side French Braid Into Low Pony

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]]>4 Day Hair: Curly Edition. How To Style Your Dirty Hair For Four Days With Low Heat + No Wash4 Day Hair - Low Heat + No Wash How To Style Dirty Hair hairhealthy hair tipsHair & MakeupDanielle GrecoThu, 01 Mar 2018 21:04:18 +0000http://www.accordingtod.com/beauty/2018/2/25/4-day-hair-low-heat-no-wash543866d0e4b0647d8a3d0abc:54386ac4e4b03c56171d8b22:5a92fab871c10b0d653c96b3I could say that motherhood is the reason I do not wash my hair for 3 to 4 days at a time, but that simply isn't the case. I have done this with my hair for as long as I can remember. For multiple reasons, but the main ones being that it is good for the health of your hair to preserve the natural oils in your hair by not washing it daily (even washing it every other day is better than every single day), and I also have extremely thick hair so it's no quick or easy task to wash, dry and style it. With blowouts being a huge trend right now, not washing your hair every day is becoming more accepted, but of course there are still the few who totally don't understand it and find it gross. I personally don't think twice about it anymore, I've been rocking the shower cap for years now.

Because I've become a "dirty hair pro" I decided it could be helpful to share a few of my tricks with you on how to style your 3 or 4 (depending on your hair type) day hair. Disclaimer, my hair can go up to 4 days and still style good, but not everyone has the same hair type and there does come a point when even dry shampoo can't fix the issue. If that is you, wash your hair lol and do it before people stare at you funny. The idea is not to waltz around town with greasy looking hair. The idea is to have your hair last and styled so that people and yourself hardly notice that it is even dirty. A good dry shampoo and a good teasing comb are key. I have linked some of my favorites below for you. The idea behind being able to style your hair for 4 days is to create looks when your hair gets greasy that hide the grease (even though it shouldn't be showing much anyways because of the dry shampoo).

Here is a demo of "4 day hair" that you can use. I have included french braids into a few of the looks, but you could modify if you do not know how to do a french braid, or find a good YouTube tutorial and start learning because french braid looks are some of the best for dirty hair. This 4 day hair tutorial is starting with straight hair. I will be rolling out a few other tutorials and one including curled hair to start.

Day 1: Straighten Hair

Day 2: Half Up

Day 3: French Braid to High Pony

Chances are by day 3 you are really going to be needing your dry shampoo. Don't skimp, you want your hair to have texture and to look fresh.

If you would like a cleaner more professional look, you can wrap a piece of hair around the hair tie to cover it. Then simply hold it into place with a bobby-pin.

Day 4: Braided Bun

This look is great following the braid to pony look because the front part of your hair will have creases in it from being in a half braid and pony tail the day before. Because we are trying to use as little heat as possible throughout the 4 days, it's important to do styles that will work with the creases in your hair from the day prior.

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]]>4 Day Hair - Low Heat + No Wash How To Style Dirty HairQuick And Simple Braided Bun Hair TutorialhairHair & MakeupbeautyDanielle GrecoThu, 25 Jan 2018 15:48:24 +0000http://www.accordingtod.com/beauty/2018/1/15/quick-and-simple-braided-bun-hair-tutorial543866d0e4b0647d8a3d0abc:54386ac4e4b03c56171d8b22:5a5d603871c10bc0942fd9e5Weather you're in college and rushing class, traveling and catching an early flight, or a mother and just trying to get out of the house - quick hairstyles are a necessity for any busy woman. As a new mom, quick and easy hairstyles are my thing. When I'm in a rush but I still want to look professional and relatively put together (haha because since having a baby I'm not sure that I ever feel "put together") this is one of my go to hair-styles.

The only thing about this hair tutorial that you might not find simple is the french braid. I know how to french braid from my high-school cheer days and I wear them in my hair a number of different ways, but if you don't know how I believe you can still accomplish a similar look. Just put your hair in a ponytail, braid a section of the pony and put it in a bun - see it's simple.

For those of you who can french braid, here is my braided bun hair tutorial.

*Don't mind all the frizzy hair on the front of my head - after having Giulian I lost quite a bit of hair around my forehead and it's starting to grow back (and looks a bit crazy haha).

Step 1: French braid front half of hair. Continue the braid down until the end of your hair (see pictures).

Step 2: Grab the rest of your hair and put it in a ponytail.

Step 3: Wrap the hair into a bun. If you want a bigger bun with more volume, tease the hair prior to wrapping it into a bun (I did not this time). Make sure the braid is on the outside of the bun so you can see it.

Step 4: Secure the bun with bobby-pins.

Step 5: Cut off the elastic hair tie (if visible). Be careful not to cut your hair of course (I used cuticle cutters).

Finished Look:

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]]>Quick And Simple Braided Bun Hair Tutorial#KillThemWithKindness You're Ugly Video & Response beautyInner BeautySelf Worth SeriesDanielle GrecoThu, 26 May 2016 15:35:44 +0000http://www.accordingtod.com/beauty/2016/5/26/killthemwithkindness-youre-ugly-video-response543866d0e4b0647d8a3d0abc:54386ac4e4b03c56171d8b22:57470daff699bb4f6033b122I was working on this weeks blog post, it was going to be a Nuevo Vallarta post. It can wait. When I saw this video and immediately knew I HAD to do this weeks post on the video. I follow Danielle Mansutti on Youtube, she is a beauty and fashion Youtuber. I love her makeup tutorials.

I don't want to steal the video's thunder, so I'm not going to say too much about it, but it is a powerful video on cyber bullying. The reality of it is everyone experiences it to some degree, even if you are stunning (which she is), weak people behind their computer or phone will say nasty things to tare you down in attempt to make them feel better about themselves.

Watch the video:

I LOVE her message here so much and I am so grateful she had the strength to make this video. Lets all do our part to make that number a zero. Lets give genuine compliments, praise one another, build people up. Also, lets share this video and help create awareness and hopefully open up people's minds. Hopefully after someone sees this video they will think twice before leaving hurtful comments or bullying in any way. Readers, thank you so much for connecting with me through blogging. And just know YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL and God doesn't make junk!

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]]>#KillThemWithKindness You're Ugly Video & ResponseProtect Your Skin In The Mile High CitybeautyHair & MakeupMakeupProduct ReviewDanielle GrecoThu, 05 May 2016 05:28:23 +0000http://www.accordingtod.com/beauty/2016/5/5/protect-your-skin-in-the-mile-high-city543866d0e4b0647d8a3d0abc:54386ac4e4b03c56171d8b22:572acc9b22482e140aeb61bcA few weeks ago I had the honor of writing an article for Denver Style Magazine on their blog. Now I get to share it with you all, my amazing readers! I hope you enjoy. Here is the link to the original post on Denver Style Magazine's website. Just so you know, this post is in no way sponsored by the products I discuss below. I simply think these are amazing products that tie in perfectly with the topic.

With so many new people moving and traveling to Denver I find this topic becoming more and more important. Many people coming here are coming from places like Texas, Florida, New York, etc., places that are low altitude or even sea level. Most people probably don’t even think about the increased risk of skin cancer at higher altitude and the importance of protecting against that. I am no expert on this topic, I am simply a Colorado native that understands that sun protection is extremely important in Colorado. We are such an active community, going on hikes, bike rides, skiing, snowboarding, and more… and with living an active lifestyle that usually means more sun exposure. According to the Environmental Protection Agency the annual rate of new melanoma diagnoses in Colorado was 15% higher than the national average from 2002-2006 and was the 13th highest in the U.S. There are so many factors that can play into this, and altitude in the MILE HIGH city is definitely one of them.

There are so many ways you can be pro active about protecting your skin, and today there are so many amazing natural products you can use every day to help. I stopped in at Aillea beauty in downtown Denver to discover some natural products we all can use to protect our skin. The products at Aillea are free of parabens, sulfates, petrochemicals, endocrine disruptors or other toxic chemicals, so you know what you are using is safe for your body and skin.

There are so many products and brands to choose from at Aillea. They had products with SPF in them from lipstick and makeup to skin care creams and serums. They had a wide variety and the prices seemed reasonable for the high quality products. My favorite item they showed me was the lipstick ($26) from Ilia! They let me sample it and it was so smooth and hydrating on my lips, and it had great color and pigment. Most of my lipsticks I own do not have SPF in them. That really made me open my eyes to realizing that I have room to improve when it comes to protecting my skin from the sun. This brand also had a translucent powder ($34) that the woman working there said will also help with sun protection. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that in a translucent powder so I was extremely impressed!

They also had a few other brands that offered a wide selection of SPF products. Pictured below are a few, Josh Rosebrook, Lily Lolo and Sun Tegrity. I think I will purchase the Lily Lolo mineral foundation ($22). I love that it has SPF 15. I have trouble finding a powder foundation with SPF, I mainly find cream foundations with it.

One tip I will give when it comes to sun protection is to wear sunscreen and SPF products often. I personally apply foundation, or a SPF BB cream when I leave the house and know I will be outside or even when I am driving for a long time. Also, when I am driving I like to put sunscreen on the top of my hands because during the day the sun will hit your hands as they are on the steering wheel. Your hands are one of the first places that will age fast and gain sun spots. Applying sunscreen on your hands before driving is a simple discipline that over time will save your hands from aging and will protect them from sun damage.

Like I said, I am not an expert… I am not a doctor… However, I hope this post helped to inform you that when in Colorado, or any higher altitude location, it is important to be aware and pro active with your skin protection.

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Let me start off by simply saying I LOVE music! I could be in the worst mood ever, pop some T-Swift on, and in an instant I am all better (just ask my husband) lol. There are certain songs that make me feel so amazing, inspired and powerful. I decided to make this post because I realized that I turn to music so often to pick myself back up. Sometimes encouraging lyrics and an up-beat tempo is all I need to remember that everything is going to be just fine. For example, earlier today I was feeling a bit down and discouraged about a few things, so I went to YouTube, typed in fight song by Rachel Platten, pressed play and felt at peace again.

Here are some of my GO-TO songs for when I need to remember that I am strong, powerful and confident. Enjoy!

|My power's turned on Starting right now I'll be strong (I'll be strong) I'll play my fight song And I don't really care if nobody else believes 'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me Know I've still got a lot of fight left in me| - Rachel Platten

| My heart beating, my soul breathing I found my life when I laid it down Upward falling, spirit soaring I touch the sky when my knees hit the ground | - Hillsong United

*Absolutely watch the music videos to the next two songs, Try & Brave. They are amazing and extremely inspring!!

|Take your make-up off Let your hair down Take a breath Look into the mirror, at yourself Don't you like you? 'Cause I like you| -Colbie Caillat

|Everybody's been there, everybody's been stared down By the enemy Fallen for the fear and done some disappearing Bow down to the mighty Don't run, stop holding your tongue Maybe there's a way out of the cage where you live Maybe one of these days you can let the light in Show me how big your brave is| -Sara Bareilles

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Irresistible Me contacted me and offered to send me some extensions. After looking at their website and pictures of their hair extensions I was thrilled to do a review on their product! This is my very first time wearing hair extensions... I am an extension virgin lol. I naturally have very thick, long hair, so to be honest I wasn't totally sure if I was going to even like the extensions. Because I genuinely like my hair without them, I was convinced I didn't need them. But actually... I really really like them!!! They just magnify what I already love about my hair. I honestly think if you have thin fine hair, these will look fabulous, and if you have long thick hair like me, you'll love them just the same! I want you to know, I am not being paid to say this product is great. They sent me free product and I promised a honest review (good or bad).

I got the silky medium brown clip in extensions, the 24 inches. The color was a bit darker than I expected, but I actually liked the contrast in color with my hair. It looked like I had low lights in my hair. You can dye the hair too, I might do that down the road. When I first opened the package I was impressed with how silky and absolutely gorgeous the hair was!!! It looks like what every girl wants her hair to look like. Healthy, shiny and rich in color. I will also add that I was impressed with the packaging. It came in a cute box and the hair was in an organized package that you will see in the picture below.

HERE I AM PRE EXTENSIONS:

Like I said before, I have NEVER worn extensions before. So, I was a bit nervous that they would be really complicated and difficult to put in. They were so so simple and easy to put in!

The extensions are made of 100% human hair, which made them easy to curl and style.

HERE IS THE FINISHED PRODUCT!

I ONLY USED TWO SETS OF THE EXTENSIONS, THE PACK THEY SEND COMES WITH A TON THOUGH.

Ready for a night out in Nuevo Villarta!! Thank you Irresistible Me for the lovely extensions!

Overall I would totally recommend these extensions! I think they are really beautiful. I love the richness to the color and the silkiness to the hair. They were simple to put in, and added a lot of fullness and body to my natural hair. I would recommend them to you, in my opinion they are high quality extensions.

I HAVE BEEN GETTING IPSY BAGS FOR THREE MONTHS NOW AND I AM TOTALLY LOVING IT! IN A NUT SHELL, A "GLAM BAG" IS A GOODIE BAG YOU GET ONCE A MONTH WITH DIFFERENT (LIKE 4-6) SAMPLE SIZE PRODUCTS IN IT. THE BAG ITSELF IS ADORABLE AND IS DIFFERENT EACH MONTH. TO SIGN UP TO RECEIVE A GLAM BAG IT IS $10 A MONTH WITH FREE SHIPPING. WHEN YOU SIGN UP YOU TELL THEM A BIT ABOUT YOUR BEAUTY STYLE, YOUR SKIN TONE, HAIR TYPE AND COLOR, ETC. THAT WAY THEY CAN SEND YOU PRODUCT SAMPLES THAT MATCH WHAT YOU MIGHT LIKE. I HAVEN'T RECEIVED ANY PRODUCTS THAT I ABSOLUTELY HATED... THESE ARE JUST THE ONES I LOVED!!! PRODUCTS THAT I WILL BUY MORE OF. PRODUCTS THAT, EVEN IF OVERPRICED, I WOULD PURCHASE!

CLICK HEART TO GO TO IPSY.COM

This eyeliner is actually super creamy! it made a wing or cat eye super flawless and simple! it did not smear easy which is so important! sometimes when eyeliners are creamy, they also smear bad through the day, so i was pleased that this one did not.

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softest.brush.ever!!!! ok, this eyeshadow blending brush is so amazing! I have never in my life had a brush blend like this. It is super soft and fluffy! it also seems to be high quality; i use it a ton and it's not falling apart at all. and... it's pink, haha which i love.

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i love a good leave in conditioner. my hair has been more damaged lately because of adding blonde into it, so i need products like this. hydrated my hair. it's simple. and smells nice.

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favorite!!!!!!!! ok to be honest i was not excited about a shadow crayon... i pictured it being very dry and being difficult to apply. this was not the case at all. first off, i love the color of this one. "venetian gold". I am a total sucker for gold. it was a decent sized sample, i am still using it and i got it like a month ago, and i use it almost every day! it applies smooth and blends nice. i will buy it the moment it runs out.

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one of my favorite things about ipsy is that you get travel sized things. dry shampoo is a bit difficult to find in travel/sample size. although i would love a big can, that is a positive to receiving smaller sample size products. great for travel! this dry shampoo was amazing! It had a bit of a color tint which i love, it smelt amazing and gave my hair great volume and made it look fresh! love!

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It's June and Summer is FINALLY here!!! Here are some my personal summer beauty must haves!!!

My #1 must have is ... BRONZER products!!!

I am a total fan of a summer glow! My favorite is having a natural tan of course, but that's not always possible. Above are a few of my favorite bronzer products!! One is a Banana Boat tinted lotion to give you a "fake tan"... Next is a bronzer lotion from Victoria's Secret; I love just rubbing this on my arms and legs for a nice shimmer glow!! And last is my facial bronzer! I love this brand, it gives a gorgeous shimmer bronze glow on your face!

Next must have is SPF foundation!

Truthfully this is a beauty tip for ALL seasons... SPF is SO important for keeping your skin healthy and young! Protecting against the sun is in my opinion always the #1 beauty tip! Secret: to keep your hands looking young, apply a high spf daily!

Lip gloss/stick summer shades... a summer beauty MUST!!

I love summer shades of lip gloss and lip stick! Shades of pinks are as summery as it gets! Also peach or coral shades, purple or orchid shades, etc. Anything bright!

Last but not least... I always love to have during the summer is floral or fruity scented lotions!! They always remind me of summer and I just love having them!! Plus, my skin gets dry and I love keeping a smell good lotion around!

Confidence. Self Talk. Shifting Our Focus

In the first blog post about self worth, I talked about how we must change the way we view ourselves. This post should help us all out in this life long journey of how to conquer self doubt, low self esteem and navigating through the worldly pressures to look and be "perfect". I pray we can be on a journey together of learning to love ourselves and embrace who God made us to be.

To be honest, I would say a lot of the time I have great confidence, but other times it is horrible! Sometimes when my hormones are out of wack, my confidence takes a real beating. I would say this is all correlated to my self talk... if I have positive thoughts, I feel amazing... on the flip side, if I have one bad thought it can be like a downward spiral into the land of self wallowing and negativity. Can you relate??

Comparison is the killer of confidence

I believe if we can master speaking life instead of death we will feel confident and free!!! We are in a society of comparing ourselves to others. Comparing hair, teeth, size, shape, color, bank accounts, clothes, etc. Haha and nothing like a little comparison to make you feel inferior and basically like crap! It is the enemy that plants seeds of comparison within us to make even the most beautiful women feel that she is unable to love the way she looks. Comparison is the killer of confidence!! Let's shift our focus. Let's focus on our positives attributes. Let's focus on our strong points, because WE ALL have them! Joyce Meyers says that confident people focus on their strengths instead of their weaknesses. I would totally agree. I will start. I love my hair, my eyes, my height, my teeth, my skin color and tone! There ... Your turn! What do you love about you?! Comment below telling me. I would love to hear! And do not say "nothing"... that is such an insult to God, your creator.. ever thought about that?.. So think of things you genuinely love about YOURSELF!

Are there things I want to improve in my life? Of course!! But I am going to focus on what I love so I have inner peace and can be truly happy.

Statistically 71% of women suffer from a low self esteem from physical appearance. We can change this with our self talk. Not only what we say to ourselves, but others too. Tip #1: COMPLIMENT OTHERS! Build people up! In return you will feel amazing.

We are ENOUGH at any size or shape. It's great to have goals , but know you are enough and beautiful all the time . I meet so many women who say "I will love the way I look when..." "When I lose these last 10 lbs" "when my skin clears up" "when I get a boob job" "when I can buy all those clothes to feel great". Well, so many times I have played the "when" game, and at 25 years old, I am already tired of it. I am gonna love all of me NOW, and when I do this or that it'll be just a bonus.

We must first love ourselves . The mindset of how we view ourselves must be right first. We must tell ourselves we are enough and beautiful before we reach our goal weight or before we look a certain way. Then when we reach that goal, we will already feel great on the inside, now the outside world matches... a reflection.

Tip #2: every time you catch yourself thinking something negative about yourself, replace it with THREE positive thoughts about yourself! This won't feel natural at first, but over time you will change your thoughts. Give it a shot!

I hope my thoughts add value in some way. I want to end with this, the top definition in the urban dictionary of Beautiful:

This is the kind of beautiful I want to put first. Above external beauty. 💕

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I recently decided to try out ShopMissA.com ! I had heard about it and how affordable it was so it got me curious! Everything on this site is $1 !!! They sell things like jewelry, nail stuff, and makeup! Now... At first I was a bit skeptical! I mean, I like a bargain... But I do not like CHEAP stuff, you know things that are poorly made and are basically garbage! But... The ladies I heard talking about it loved the stuff they ordered, so I decided to give it a go!!! AND OVERALL I LOVED IT!!! I bought some makeup! Things like bronzer, brushes, fake lashes, etc! I will go through each item in a sec and let you know how it was ! But know this, overall I loved the site! I purchased 12 items, so 12 bucks !!!! Plus like $4 shipping ( which isn't bad at all!!). It was shipped to my house super quick! The packaging was adorable and they made sure everything was safely shipped! Great service in my opinion!

Ok, let's get into it!!!!

My favorite: the makeup brushes!! I think it's super important to have makeup brushes you like, and also many different brushes for different things! I have been in need of a good foundation brush, so I tried one off this site ( E.L.F. Brand) , and I love it! It's super soft which is important when applying foundation with a brush! I adore it! And heck, for a dollar I won't need to clean it a bunch, I can just order more 💕!

I ordered the Princessa Angled Shadow Brush, it's great, I prefer the E.L.F. Brand though. I also purchased the E.L.F. Essential Smudge Eye Brush, E.L.F. Essential Eye Crease Brush and the E.L.F. Essential Eyeliner Brush... They are all great, I especially love the eyeliner brush. It's so important to have brushes with different angles and textures when applying eye makeup!

Ok, the thing I am MOST obsessed with was the bronzer I purchased!!!! It is the TANNED RAWR- SHIMMER BRONZER IN BALI SHIMMER!!!! I have a bronzer I love from Victoria's Secret... But I actually love this one more!!! Which is crazy awesome because the Victoria's Secret one is pricey! And this one I ONE DOLLAR!!!!! Holla!!! Like I said, I love a good bargain... As long as I genuinely love the product! But this bronzer is amazing , the shimmer that it has is gorgeous! It gives you a nice summer glow!!! Also, it is not too dark, which I love! PERFECT!

I love the eyelash curler I ordered, not much to say about it... But for a buck, it's pretty great!

The E.L.F. Essential Tone Correcting Concealer- Light Beige is another new favorite!!! I use it under my eyes, in the creases of my nose and on the bridge of my nose! It hides redness and dark spots. It gives a glow that I love! I feel it makes me look more refreshed and awake! Haha which sometimes is SO necessary!! I also love that it's a bit "dewey", and doesn't make my skin feel dry.

I ordered some pressed powder and totally picked the wrong shade!!!! Online it looked much lighter! It's the Prisma Pressed Powder and I picked the Bronze color. I could possibly use this color when contouring my face... But certainly NOT as an all over powder lol. Oops !!! But out of 12 products I'm happy I only didn't like this one! I will still use it when contouring my face.

And last, the eyelash stuff! I bought two different false eyelash sets, and glue for them. The lashes are nice, they look pretty natural and are made with real human hair which is nice! I'm not crazy about the glue... But I also am still learning and am not the best at applying fake lashes yet!

Overall I would totally recommend this site and I am so thrilled I heard of it!! Great find! Comment below if you have purchased from this site and if so what YOUR experience was!!!

I have struggled with "loving myself" my entire life. It started at probably the early years of first grade, comparing myself to other little girls in my classroom. Questioning why I was not the "smallest" girl in the class. Questioning why being the smallest girl in the classroom was viewed as "cuter". Questioning why I could not be the tomboy I was, and still feel pretty. I was the little girl who LOVED riding bikes, playing tag, capture the flag, and hide and go seek with all the other neighbor kids. I loved wearing a big tee shirt, cowgirl boots and leggings because it was comfy and what I enjoyed. As a kid I would hear adults make comments like "why is she such a tomboy?" "she is not as girly as her sister was". My family even jokes they thought I was "gay".... as though a child cannot just enjoy being a KID! As though a little girl HAS to love dresses and otherwise is GAY?! WHAT?! I did not care about curling my hair, shopping, and makeup until middle school. I never felt pretty until I liked those things. My family also joked that I looked like a Hanson. Yes, the BOY band!!!! Picture below!! Jokes aren't always funny people!

I had been called chubby or fat from my own father... which will mess with a little girls head and she will carry that into her ADULT years. Please understand, I am not blaming my family and outside sources for anything, but I am saying I have let them affect my self image UP UNTIL NOW! I developed insecurities at a young age and I am on a mission to change my mindset on how I view myself. Because IT DOES affect our children! And our children's children! We are seeing women who carry this stuff into their adult years and having extremely low self esteem. And like I said, this will effect our children, they are always paying attention to what comes out of our mouths. Especially If we, as women are cutting ourselves down in front of little girls. Why would they allow themselves to feel pretty?! They will develop the mindset like I did, that to love myself I must be the thinnest, with the best outfits and best looks.... Which is NOT TRUE! Do not get me wrong.... today in my life I genuinely love to shop, play around with hair and makeup, and I would consider myself very girly (obviously, look at how girly my blog is)... The point is that I cannot and will not believe that is where my SELF WORTH comes from. A person can enjoy those things.... but it must be for the right reasons. We must not seek external sources for our love and self worth. I am not an expert on this, I personally struggle with it every day, but I am making a stand to get better at it, and to work on this every day. I pray this blog post will help you to do the same.

I recently had an "ah-ha" moment. I filmed a video with a lovely friend, Ashley Makelky. She has been making videos for YouTube and loving it! She is such a joy to watch! She recently started filming a segment called "MY FATLIFE" which is her weight loss journey. Many things she mentions in her videos are things most women struggle with. Mostly being mindset and negative thoughts and emotions about our body and looks. She asked me to do an interview video with her for her channel, so I did. She confessed in a later video that it was so hard for her to be around me. She said I was "perfect" and "cute" and therefore it was hard for her to be around me. This TOTALLY shocked me, for many reasons. Mostly because it made me realize that almost all women are in the comparing game. And I must say, I am so bad at this too. I will look at women smaller than me and wish I was like that. Looking at women with bigger boobs and wish I had them. The list goes on and on.... But when I heard Ashley compare herself to me, it made me cry. I never want anyone to feel like that, because I know exactly how she feels. We are caught in the battle of not feeling good enough. I believe health and fitness are important, and I enjoy my own health and fitness routine, but what's most important for us as women is to come together and get our minds right. We must support each other and love each other and most importantly LOVE OURSELVES! That last part iskey. Think about it like this... if a woman is comparing herself to you and hears you cut yourself down or say nasty things about your own weight and looks, how will that make HER feel?! Example: I have a friend who is a size 0-2... who could basically be a victoria secret model, and she will say she is fat in front of me and other women who are all BIGGER than her! Like come on ladies...How do we not know what thoughts that puts in their heads?! "well jeeze, if she thinks she is fat... what am I?!" And I am guilty of this too... after watching Ashley's video about her insecurities about being around me, it make me think... Did I say anything to cut myself down that would make her think the same things as my friend made me think? And the answer is YES, unfortunately I probably did. I make comments like that way too often, to the point where I do it unconsciously. This must stop... For myself and women all over the world to feel good, this must stop!

My point to this rant is that we must work on ourselves to fix this horrible mindset we have for our body image. I am going to continue to blog about it. I am personally going to work to get my own mind right around this. To love and cherish my body no matter what size I am. To eat healthy and work out because I appreciate my body and because I love to challenge myself, not for the reasons of only loving myself at a certain size or shape. By making a change in this, I hope to one day raise a daughter to love herself more than I did myself growing up.

More to come, I am always working and growing and this is an area that I plan on doing some serious internal work on. I think if we are all honest with ourselves we can agree that this is something we can all work on. I hope that as I go through this self-acceptance journey that it will inspire other women out there to do the same. Not just so we 'feel better' about ourselves, but so that we can genuinely love and accept ourselves.

I decided to go BLONDE!!! I was blonde a few years ago but decided to stay brown for a while, that is my natural color.... the healthier option for my hair! But , it was time for a change! So, after 5 hours of stripping and bleaching highlights in my hair.... TAA DA I WAS BLONDE!!!

The only down side to bleaching your hair is the DAMAGE. But your hair can still look HEALTHY!

Here are my FAVORITE HAIR PRODUCTS for healthier looking hair!

1 . This product is amazing for restoring damaged hair. I got it on sale at TJ MAXX for $13. The brand is THEORIE and it is an "Argan Oil Ultimate Reform Hair Mask". It is for "severely damaged" hair. I like this product because it has Moroccan Argan Oil, Grapeseed Oil and Shea Butter in it... which are all AMAZING for your hair! You simply leave this "conditioner" in for about 10 minutes. I like to do this once a week.

2. Coconut Oil has great benefits for your hair!! It helps to reduce protein loss in the hair. It is great for keeping moisture in the hair which makes it soft and shiny! I think twice a month if you lather your hair with coconut oil and leave it in for 30 minutes, it does wonders!! Your hair will be healthier, less split ends, and SHINY!

3. I try not to wash my hair every day!! This keeps the natural oils in your hair and keeps it healthier! Also, it can mean less heat to your hair because you will not have to style it as much. DRY SHAMPOO is amazing for this so your hair is not greasy. I love the sexy hair brand. Their dry shampoo is the best I have tried!

4. These are the two main products I use for SHINE!! Garnier Fructis may not be the "nicest" brand.. but I LOVEEE this hair spray! It puts so much shine in your hair! And it smells amazing! I get the "sleek and shine" anti-humidity hairspray. It's great.

The FRIZZ BE GONE serum I have is so great... but really there are many brands that create an amazing anti frizz serum. Just make sure not to apply this to the root of your hair, it will make your hair look dirty and greasy. Apply it to the ends.

** I hope that helps! COMMENT BELOW with your favorite hair products! And let me know if you like the brown or blonde?! **